This invention relates to medico-surgical tubes and methods of manufacture.
The invention is more particularly concerned with tubes having a soft tip, and with methods of manufacture of such tubes.
It is often desirable for medico-surgical tubes or catheters to have a soft tip, so as to reduce trauma when the tip contacts patient tissue. In epidural catheters, a soft tip reduces the risk that the catheter will damage the dura. Various arrangements have been proposed for providing a soft tip, such as by attaching or moulding a separate component of a softer material onto the shaft of the catheter. Such an arrangement is not entirely satisfactory because a separate assembly operation is needed to form the tip, leading to increased manufacturing expense. Also, there is always some risk that a separate component might become detached from the body of the catheter. Other arrangements in which the rear part of the catheter is reinforced can also be difficult to make by automated assembly, thereby making the catheter relatively expensive.